What really makes you happy
is
focusing on WHAT you do have to enjoy,
SIMPLE THINGS, to rejoice
in ordinary things. Don't take things for granted. Just the ordinary things of
life add richness and depth to existence.

I started by watering the
seeds of happiness in myself.

Pictures Below Show the Many Ways I Embrace CELEBRATING the simple JOYS of
Living!
(Click on the thumbnail to see a larger image.)

The May 12-Permission to Play drawing is from Living Juicy-Daily Morsels For
Your Creative Soul,
& The Bodacious Book of Succulence by Sark (1994), Celestial Arts, Berkeley, California. (Please note that I have added high-lighting
colors to the above drawing).See Ten
Speed Press for many excellent publications: http://www.tenspeedpress.com/catalog/tenspeed/index.php3For a catalog from SARK, call: (800) 841-BOOK.These books are SO
MUCH FUNand are delightfully colorful! www.campsark.com

We take our toes for
granted. We worry about so many things, but we seldom think about
our toes. If one small toe steps on a thorn, however, our whole body
will feel the pain. Holding one toe in our hand, we can feel its peace
and joy. It has been a good friend. It is not broken. It does not have
cancer. We can thank our toe for its health and well-being.

Our toe and each cell of
our body exist interdependently, not separately. If our body exist
interdependently, not separately. If our body becomes ill or injured,
the cause many be external, such as bacteria from contaminated food,
alcohol in another driver's bloodstream, or a bomb dropped from a plane.

If the sun were to stop
shining, life on earth would cease. We must understand that our body
also includes all of these things. The sun is our heart outside of our
body. Our life and the life of allexistence are one
continuous life. The peace and joy of our small toe are the peace
and joy of our whole body and mind, and the peace and joy of the entire
universe. Once we identify with our toe, we can proceed further to
identify ourselves with all life. Life comes from the whole universe.

*From
the introduction: This book contains short verses to help us dwell
in mindfulness. We often become so busy that we forget what we are doing
or even who we are. We forget to look at the people we love and to
appreciate them...we don't know how to get in touch with what is going
on inside and outside of ourselves...To meditate is to be aware of what
is going on in our bodies, our feelings, our minds, and in the world.
This is a delightful book that promotes a feeling of joy and of the
sacredness of life.

For ideas on Self-Nurturing and Self-Esteem:
Learn the skills for emotional
nurturing. They're euphoric and non-caloric! Learning and practicing these
skills will help to transform emotional eating. See the links below from the
Essential Skills
section
of this site.